Five People Who Were Affected by Kirk's Death
by Starsinger
Summary: And One Whose Death Affected Him. Okay, so I'm trying my hand at this five things thing, and it'll probably be lame. Who knows? I don't.


**Five People Who Were Affected by Kirk's Death**

**And One Whose Death Affected Him**

by Starsinger

**Okay, so I'm trying my hand at this five things thing, and it'll probably be lame. Who knows? I don't, and still don't own them.**

**Spock**

Spock watched as Jim's hand slid down the glass and his eyes turned away from, becoming vacant. It took a long moment of looking at the one person who'd ever tried to be his friend for the realization to set in. His friend was dead. His heart wrenching cry of "Khan" made the situation more terrible for those around him. He quietly heard Scotty call for a body bag in Engineering. He even heard their arrival and more sobs as they realized whose body it would enclose.

The door finally opened. He hadn't even noticed Nyota near him before he entered. Spock reached forward, pressing his fingers into the meld points, knowing that he would find nothing. This was an empty shell. Everything that had been James T. Kirk was gone. Nyota reached forward and mercifully closed those vacant eyes.

One year ago Spock had chucked Kirk's unconscious body into an escape pod headed for Delta Vega. Treating him with as much thought as he would have that dead Tribble down in Sickbay. Today he cradled Jim's body in his arms as he picked him up with as much care as a newborn baby. He found the body bag laid out on the ground and inserted the Captain into it himself. It was difficult, but he finally let go before turning for the doors and running for the Bridge.

**Kev**

Kevin Riley had finally gotten assigned to the Enterprise just before Nibiru, and had been just as shocked as everyone at the attack on the Daystrom Institute that had ended in Admiral Pike's death. He was in Engineering that day, frankly lucky that he was there and not out in the precariously tipping corridors as the Ship's center of gravity went topsy turvy.

Then he heard word that someone had gone into the warp core, and that was why they were still alive. He entered main Engineering hoping it wasn't true. That was when he saw Commander Spock exit the warp core chamber with the Captain in his arms. Kev knew then that JT was gone. His Captain, the fearless leader that had helped him and so many others survive Tarsus IV, had done his duty one last time. Spock sped past him as the Medical personnel zipped up the bag.

Kev took his place beside the bag and lifted it up. He felt it his duty to deliver his body to Sickbay. Silently, he said good-bye.

**McCoy**

Bones.

That's what Jim always called him. And it annoyed the hell out of him. He should never have made that comment about his ex-wife on the shuttle, but that was the way he felt. When Jim Kirk gave his friendship and loyalty, though, he gave it unwaveringly, unswervingly, and never swayed from it.

McCoy looked up as his personnel came in with the body bag from Engineering. He barely noticed that Scotty was with them. None of them would look him in the eye as he approached the bag. He had a job to do, it didn't matter who was in the bag. At least that was what he thought.

Then he opened the bag, and Jim lay there, his eyes mercifully closed. He stared uncomprehendingly at first. Then, he began to shake. He couldn't do this. They had told him over the comm what had caused this death, and performing an autopsy would have made his heart break even further. He stumbled over to a chair and sat down. He would never hear that name again.

Bones.

**Carol**

To be perfectly honest she didn't know how she felt. She barely knew Kirk or any of his crew, but he had come to her rescue as much as that of the Enterprise. She gasped as McCoy opened the bag to reveal Kirk's face, stunned. His death was as much for her as for the crew, and all she could do was stare.

Carol watched as McCoy stumbled over to his desk and sat down, sorrow and pain etched into his face as he tried to absorb this terrible, awful day. She continued to stare at the young man in front of her and was snapped out of her idyll when she heard, "Get me a cryotube, NOW!"

Carol glanced over at him as someone ran for a tube and pulled it over. She listened to his instructions and explanation as the cold knot of sorrow unwound itself in her belly. She was determined to help as she searched through the drugs and other implements available to help Kirk slip into stasis. She turned around to find nurses and orderlies surrounding the tube, pulling its occupant out as she hit the side of Kirk's neck with a hypo, and numbly found herself asking how much of Khan's blood was left, his answer was chilling, "None."

It was with a numb sense of relief as she watched McCoy, with Kirk's cryotube in tow, enter the shuttle with a cooler of Khan's blood. She wasn't a religious person, but she prayed then and there that whatever miracle McCoy had in mind, it worked.

**Archer**

Starfleet wanted answers, and when Spock told them that McCoy was taking Kirk down to the hospital in Zurich, that should have been the first clue that something was dreadfully wrong. The second was that Spock told them that he would be available for any questions they would have. Admiral Johnson sent Archer to Zurich to question Kirk. She didn't care what shape he was in.

Archer wasn't prepared for what he encountered. He entered the ICU room where Kirk was staying to find McCoy and the staff pulling Kirk's naked, unmoving body from a cryotube and placing it in the bed. Shock was the only word to describe what he was feeling as he watched Kirk's body put on full life support and something was inserted into the IV.

"He's dead?" Archer finally blurted out.

"Yes, Admiral, Kirk is dead, and with a little luck he won't be soon," McCoy sighed and rubbed his eyes. He watched as Archer turned around and left the room.

Archer headed back down the hall his mind spinning. He didn't know how he was going to tell Starfleet Command this.

**And One Whose Death Affected Kirk**

**Spock Prime**

Jim's comm unit beeped insistently, waking him from a very sound sleep. He sighed as he got up out of bed and answered it. It was Sarek.

"I'm sorry to bother you Captain, but I thought you should know. Spock and his wife, Saavik, passed away last night."

Jim sat down as the news hit him, "Thank you, Ambassador, we're heading for New Vulcan as we speak. We should be there in time for any funerals." Sarek nodded his head before signing out.

Jim sat back thinking. Spock Prime had been the one person in the Universe who had believed in him like no one else had. He had trusted him when trust was a scarce commodity. He had helped rescue him in time to save billions more lives on Earth itself. How did one thank someone for that kind of deep faith.

The bulletin that he read to the ship's complement over the intercom simply read:

"_Today we lost a great friend and ally. His unwavering certainty that everything would turn out for the best has guided many of us to do things we would never have considered doing before. His was a kind soul who had known great joy and deepest sorrow. When we reach New Vulcan we will help commend his soul, his katra if you will, to the fates as well as his beloved wife. Good-Bye Spock, and thank you, from all of us."_


End file.
